Frozen turkeys, All the same??

My grandma told me when she was small the turkeys used to be all leg and hardly any breast meat at all. The whole broad breasted turkey concept is something that has been bred into them in the past sixty or eighty years. And, just for your trivia pleasure, I've heard that all the broad breasted ones have to be artificially inseminated since they are so deformed by the big breasts that they aren't able to manage to mate naturally. I'm sure that is a full time job for someone, wonder what they write on their tax forms as "occupation"?

I doubt there's much difference at all between any of the major brands of frozen turkeys. We generally buy them by price and stock up the freezer this time of year. One store has them for $3.95 for turkeys between 10# - 16# and $5.95 for the ones over 16#. That's per each turkey, not per pound. We've already eaten two and have four more stashed in the freezer and will get two more for Thanksgiving. Then we won't buy turkey for the rest of the year.

I've taken up soaking the bird in a big crock full of seasoned brine for about four to eight hours before roasting them. Water with enough salt added that an egg will float. Add in sage, ginger or whatever sort of herbs which will be roasted with the bird. I always put a really wet dressing in them of some sort as well as put about an inch or two of liquid in the pan while roasting. Turkey broth if I have it. They come out really juicy that way. Also, by cooking a turkey the week before, we have turkey broth and turkey pieces to add into the dressing.

Just as I figured. Same exact thing and probably for the most part packed at exactly the same plant (just maybe add more or less injections to them). At any rate, I'm sure they EAT the same thing and are RAISED the same and are all PROCESSED the same - the only difference being if they are injected with solution (and if so) how much.

Much the same for diapers. I know of a person who worked in a "diaper factory" and for the very SAME product, they just changed the packaging. I believe they made around 3 different brands of diapers. (I do think these were more the "generic" diaper rather than the name brand.)

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Michael W. Smith in North-West Pennsylvania

"Everything happens for a reason."

Dad once worked at a brewery.All the beer came from same vat,he drank the cheap stuff, brown bottle with a black label that said 'BEER'.

LOL.

Dont know if still true today.

OH Oh....Uncle an exec at a shock absorber place.They needed something to prop up profits so somebody suggested they put fins on the shock case.Worked too,sold like hotcakes for 50% more. Same shocks LOL. He LAUGHED telling us that story. Later worked for a battery manufacturer,same story,different product labels,same batteries.

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Visit Life on the Homestead,a Friendly Forum

Amen!
Sirloin steaks on the grill, baked potatoes, a veggie, but we will have pecan pie.

I think they're all good. One thing I prefer is the ones with the pop out thingie that lets you know when they're done.

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Moms don't look at things like normal people.
-----DD

Turkey .... meh

Sweet Potato /Pumpkin Pie .....YEAHHHHH

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We will meet in the golden city, called the New Jerusalem,
All our pain and all our tears will be no more.....

For the record, Jennie-O and Honeysuckle are not connected in any way. If we buy Jennie-O here, we're essentially buying local since some of them are raised in this state.

Martin

I think I've bought a Butterball once and paid dearly for nothing special. I buy the cheapest one I can for T-day; it's a game I play to see just how little a pound I can pay. Brand name didn't come into play but I haven't made a bad turkey ever but, then again, I've never had a "home raised one". (We grew Cornish X this year; they're good but not "that much better" IMO. Apparently I have no taste...)

My DH once worked at a soap factory. The only difference between the window cleaner, carpet cleaner, floor cleaner, etc was the color of the dye they put in the batches.

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"Perhaps I'll have them string a clothesline from the hearse I am in, with my underwear waving in the breeze, as we drive to the cemetary. People worry about the dumbest things!"
by Wendy

You sure they raise 67000 a year on pasture???

Their website says 80,000, but the owner was on the Chicago news the other day and he said 67,000. I drive past their farm about once or twice a week. Turkeys as far as the eye can see.

http://www.hokaturkeys.com/

I agree, personally I would rather have a crown rib roast but DW has the turkey tradition thing down for Thanskgiving (we do a crown or prime rib roast on Christmas) and because I love her and would do anything for her...we have turkey. I actually like the next day turkey sandwishes best, homemade bread slathered in mayo, some salt and a couple of romaine lettuce ribs. But turkey we will have on Thanksgiving day!!

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www.salmonslayer-simplelife.blogspot.com

Last time I checked, turkey poults were around 7.50 for say olds. Add in feed for four or five months, and the usual losses, and a turkey can get to be quite expensive. I've heard folks on this site and others getting them in the ~$50 range or more.

I'm certain, if I paid $50 for a turkey, it'd taste like heaven.

I cannot justify paying even the poult price when that same amount will pay for a whole grown turkey, without any of the trouble, work, or emotional attachment issues. I get half a dozen or so after Thanksgiving. Cook them until done, or slightly undone, and put them in the bbq pit for an hour or so, under hickory smoke, to give them flavor.

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Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity. Seneca
Learning is not compulsory... neither is survival. W. Edwards Deming

We have never cooked a bad tasting turkey for TG and we have always used store boughts. I am sure homegrowns are tasty too but I have never had one. We did raise our own cornish x'es but like someone else said the taste wasn't that much different.

Of the three main brands -Honey Suckle White, Jenne-o, and Butterball, I like the HSW the least. It just seemed dryer than the other two even though cooked the same way. I like Butterball the best with Jenne-O a close second.

One day I would like to raise my own, but for now that isn't possible.

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I'm with you. I always get a butterball. I've never been disappointed in it. I do brine my turkey though. I would love to raise some, but haven't tried yet. Maybe that will be my next adventure.

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Yeah, I worked at a textile mill for awhile. We made children's clothes and although we made them all the same, they wound up with different labels. This is why I don't worry about getting no named brand of clothes.

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67,000 per year? Let's see...if he raised 2 crops per year...yeah, with slightly less than 9,000 acres you could do that sustainably.

Rusty's Dog, I'm not here to advocate for this guy's sustainability. I'm only here to tell you that he produces a bird that's hands down better tasting than any and every commercial bird I've ever had. He doesn't do that salt solution thing, or anything else; it's a clean bird raised outdoors and the flavor's awesome.

I do know that he rotates his turkey pastures with wheat, corn, and beans, and when you drive up that road you'll see them in fresh places every year, to the left of us and to the right of us. I don't know how many acres he has, other than there are turkeys on adjacent land surrounding his home for a good distance. And he only raises one crop per year, although they're staggered out for fresh harvest through the holidays. He also employs quite a few locals for processing. I know more than one farm wife who gets her Christmas money by working the holiday season there.

To me, that beats the pants of a Butterball.

I just bought a frozen 20# "Norbest" @ $.29/lb ....... when you spend $50 at Winco , thats the price for the turkey ...

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Miz Mary

That stopped many years ago. It's illegal to use growth hormones on poultry.

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Robin